


Mucky

by mithrel



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hair Braiding, Hair Washing, M/M, Noodle Incidents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-02-01 07:08:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21431209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mithrel/pseuds/mithrel
Summary: Nori is the victim of a prank. Bofur helps him.
Relationships: Bofur/Nori (Tolkien)
Kudos: 22





	Mucky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alekstraordinary](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alekstraordinary/gifts).

> Birthday fic for the awesome @alekstraordinary. Happy birthday, man!

Bofur looked up at a noise at the door, and stared for a moment, dumbfounded.

Then he burst out laughing.

“It’s _not funny!_” Nori growled, his face thunderous.

“I’m sorry,” Bofur managed, still chortling. “But you–” he dissolved in laughter once again.

Nori was covered, from his beard to his boots, in mud. It dripped off his tunic to _splat_ on the stone floor.

Bofur finally got himself under control, as Nori’s expression told him he was becoming truly angry. “What happened?”

“Lorni,” Nori muttered darkly, and Bofur nodded in sudden understanding. Bombur’s youngest had a penchant for pranks.

“I’m going to go and clean up,” Nori said. “That is, assuming I _can,_” he added bleakly, “Then I’m going to find Lorni and tan his hide for him.”

Bofur nodded sympathetically. “Do you need any help?”

Nori shook his head. “You’re busy. I can manage,” so Bofur went back to his whittling.

When Nori came out again a half hour later, he looked much better. His skin was clean, and he was wearing clean clothes. However, there were still bits of half-dried mud in his hair and beard, which he was attempting to braid.

Bofur snorted. “You can’t leave it like that,” he protested, batting Nori’s hands away. “I _told_ you you needed my help!”

Nori hesitated for a fraction of a second, sighing. “Come help me, then.”

They went into the bathing room, which was a riot of brown water and mud-spotted towels. Bofur rinsed out the bottom of the tub, then coaxed Nori to lean over it.

He didn’t know how many pitchers it took to get Nori’s hair and beard fully clean, but he poured the warm water over his head, over and over again, then massaged soap into his scalp. It was oddly soothing. From the way Nori sighed, he agreed.

He managed to find one clean towel in the mess and handed it to Nori, who began drying his hair as Bofur rinsed out the tub again and collected the dirty towels to be laundered.

When Nori’s hair and beard were only damp, he resumed braiding them, but Bofur stopped him again.

“Let me?”

Nori rolled his eyes, but he nodded, and Bofur made quick work of his complicated hairstyle and beard braids, braids that he knew almost as well as his own at this point.

“Could you _please_ talk to Bombur about Lorni?” Nori asked plaintively. “His pranks are getting ridiculous.”

Bofur nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Neither of them said what they were thinking: that Lorni could _afford_ to be young and mischievous. Neither of them could afford to pull pranks when they were growing up.

But then again, they’d never had a real home.


End file.
